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August 26, 2011

Super Easy Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

How easy does something have to be to be considered easy? How about throwing all the ingredients into a blender, pureeing until smooth, then throwing that in a pan with some sauteed garlic and cooking until thick? Is that easy enough? Oh yeah! This is a great weeknight dinner than you can throw together in no time. You can serve it plain over pasta or add some grilled chicken, bacon and broccoli like I did. Or use it on this yummy pizza. It is seriously delicious. The sauce is thick, creamy and very smooth.

In a blender, blend the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt until smooth; set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter on medium heat and add the garlic. Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from sticking and burning. Add the milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more or until the sauce thickens, about 6-7 minutes. Once the sauce has started to thicken, remove from heat and whisk the cheese into the sauce. Immediately cover the pan. Allow the sauce to stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Serve immediately as desired. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. The sauce will become very thick, once refrigerated. To use it, reheat the sauce and add a little milk until the desired consistency is reached.

According to Our Best Bites, this sauce has around 100 calories for 1/4 cup of the sauce!

Jenn's Notes: I marinated some chicken in Italian dressing and grilled it on the George Foreman, then I cut it into strips. I also cooked some bacon and steamed some fresh broccoli. I served all of this along with the sauce over some Penne pasta. The sauce makes a ton. If you are only serving a few people, you will probably want to cut it in half. I have never eaten this as leftovers. The only thing I do different with the sauce recipe is I add a little black pepper.

Ooh this has my mouth watering! Can't wait to try. My fiancé and I eat very healthy and lean on the weekdays and sometimes we go crazy in the weekend but this would be a good Friday night dinner ;) thanks!

Thanks for the great recipe! I just made it with skim milk, fat free cream cheese, 1/2 T butter and 3/4 cup parmesan and added one more clove of garlic. Absolutely terrific with George Foreman grilled chicken and some whole wheat pasta! I can enjoy Alfredo sauce once again!!!

- I have never tried freezing it, but the cookbook that I found this recipe in has freezer instructions: After cooking for 6-7 minutes, transfer the mixture to an 8x8 inch disposable aluminum baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake, covered, for 90 minutes or until the casserole is cooked through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. -Jenn